-“Don’t stop sibling squabbles. They will learn about compromise, survival and the art of negotiation”. I find that impossible but I will try!

-“Shovering children with praise – such as for brushing their teeth – can lead to an unappealing sense of self-entitlement”. You have to find the right balance between enough praise and too much praise, but also descriptive praise. Hmm, not easy but worth giving it a try I think. See prior post Calmer Easier Happier Parenting.

-“Don’t indulge fussy eating or make a big deal out of food, as they’ll just find something to complain about”. Not easy for fussy eaters. Join the club!

-“No phonics until school”. Let them enjoy school and when they are ready, they will learn and they will love it.

-“Forget flashy toys. Research suggests they are no better than traditional ones”.

I found those tips developed by psychologist Madeline Levine pretty straight forward but sometimes it’s good to be reminded.

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I didn’t think it could get any worse: after eating multi grain bread for years, Little Miss A has decided she doesn’t like the seeds (or dots, as she calls them). Instead of eating her toast or sandwich, she spends her time picking away at the bread. Or she just licks the butter off and says she’s full. Mountain of crumbs aside, I wasn’t about to cave and start buying white bread just as she’s turning four. I also wasn’t going to avoid the issue by giving her cereal or pancakes (how she would love that!) . So what was I going to do?

Answer: cookie cutters.

Somehow, toast in the shape of a heart, dinosaur, gingerbread man, or the letter A can make a little one forget about their food fetishes. Little Miss A has never had more than one slice of toast for breakfast, so imagine my surprise when she had three. Result!

This idea had been on my mind for quite a while but only recently did I manage to get around to actually doing it. Blondie and I call it “funny snacks”.

Ingredients:

Selection of fruit, washed, chopped, ready to be eaten. Place small portion of each fruit in separate bowls. (I have chosen to do it with fruit because we normally have something sweet for goûter but it will also works with vegetables).

A small child (I guess it works with older/younger/opposite sex/adults as well)

A scarf.

A table (not mandatory).

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

On the table, place all the bowls of fruit (or vegetable) from your selection. Place the scarf over the eyes of your child, tie it firmly but gently to make sure that he/she can’t see (strongly negotiate that it is for the sake of funny snacks: (“Mummy I can’t see!” “Yes, I know it is done on purpose, kitten.” “Mummy, I’m afraid of the dark, I want to remove the scarf….” thus Ju Jitsu!). Ask your child to taste the contents of each bowl and ask him/her to name what she/he is eating. Feast the spectacle!

I was amazed to see that Blondie could still distinguish all the fruits that she hates (banana, grape, blueberry, raspberry, kiwi, apple, pear). There were some figs in this round of funny snacks. I did it on purpose because I know that she would not eat them otherwise. I was hoping that she would like them if she could not see them first.

Result: As soon as a bite of fig touched her tongue she spat it out!

I was hoping that our funny snacks could also be used for fussy eaters as a way to taste food that they would not normally eat but I am not sure that it was successful in that respect. Anyway Blondie and I had lots of fun. And that is what really matters, isn’t it?

Me & The Girls

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More so out of frustration, I have reverted back to puréeing à la Annabel Karmel in a desperate attempt to get some protein and vegetables into Little Miss A. Even if she is none the wiser. Little Miss A loves pasta so I figured that I would purée a selection of veggie-packed sauces that I could freeze and have on stand by (that’s right, like when she was circa 6 month old!).

And wouldn’t you know it, it works. Little Miss A now chooses which sauce she would like – Green (broccoli and cauliflower), Yellow (butternut squash), Orange (carrot), Brown (mixed roast root vegetables) – over her favourite pasta shapes. Lately she loves farfalle (“Like at Blondie’s house!”) after gobbling up a yummy pasta carbonara at Me & The Girls’ house.

Orange Sauce – Makes 6 children’s servings

500 g carrots

50g unsalted butter

3 shallots, chopped into small pieces, or a finely chopped medium onion

400 ml hot vegetable stock

2 tbsp thyme

2 tbsp oregano

Grated Parmesan, to serve

Peel the carrots and slice into small discs. Melt the butter in a large nonstick saucepan over a medium heat. As it gets hot and frothy, add the thyme and oregano. Add the shallots or onion to the same pan – still over a medium heat – and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and stir-fry for about 2 minutes until everything is mixed through.

Now add half the stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it all simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time until the carrots soften and absorb all (or most) of the stock.

Once the carrots are cooked and most of the stock has been absorbed, leave it to cool. Blitz in a blender or food processor, using as much (or all) of the remaining stock in order to create the consistency that you desire.

Pour into freezable container or serve immediately over your favourite type of pasta. Little Miss A loves it with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan and fresh black pepper. Enjoy!